Gambling Commission regulating the industry

The Gambling Commission has set out how it will monitor and regulate the activities of British gambling operators, and the action it will take against those who fail to comply with its rules or who run illegal gambling operations. From September next year the Commission will have substantial new powers under the Gambling Act 2005, and its new consultation document, Licensing, Compliance and Enforcement, gives the gambling industry its first indication as to how it intends to use them. All gambling operators will require a licence from the Commission, and the key individuals involved in running the business will be subject to a range of checks, as will shareholders and major investors. These will include criminal records checks, integrity checks and financial checks such as insolvency and Companies House records. This safeguard is an important step in keeping crime out of gambling. The Commission will ensure that, once licensed, operators comply with a range of new rules it has introduced designed to keep crime out and make sure gambling is socially responsible. Commission staff will visit casinos, bingo clubs, betting shops and amusement arcades and check online gambling sites on a regular basis, using spot checks as well as scheduled examinations to ensure high standards are being met by operators and their staff. It will also adopt covert investigation methods such as mystery shopping to make sure operators are complying with its new rules. The Commission will take tough enforcement action against those who fail to comply. Sanctions against licensed operators who breach their licence conditions can include licence suspension or revocation and potentially unlimited fines (although normally the Commission will regard 10 per cent of turnover as the maximum). As well as regulating gambling operators and staff, the Commission will investigate and prosecute a range of criminal offences, including those who run unlicensed, illegal gambling facilities, and severe cases of cheating at gambling. Gambling Commission chairman Peter Dean commented: We have three clear regulatory objectives: to keep crime out, to make sure gambling is fair and open, and to protect children and vulnerable people from harm. We will be risk-based, proportionate and fair in our approach to regulation, and our processes will be as streamlined and efficient as possible. But we will not hesitate to use our extensive legal powers to prosecute any illegal gambling activity, or to take action against licensed operators who fail to comply with the new rules we have set out. Richard Caborn, minister for sport, said: “This report outlines the tough but fair approach the Gambling Commission will take to regulating the industry. These new measures, not possible without the Gambling Act, give the Gambling Commission greater powers to take action against operators, ensuring that people are able to gamble in a well regulated and safer environment.